Young Girls Are Now Encouraged to Stay in School Here

Eager to correct the dropout rate among school-going girls, the Indian government has put in place measures to promote girls’ education. Recent data shows that over the last four years, a decline in the dropout rate occurred, the sharpest being at the secondary level with a 5% decrease.

“Under Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan [a school education scheme focusing on holistic education for children], various facilities are being provided for promoting girls’ education,” explains Annapurna Devi, minister of state for education. “These include opening of schools in the neighborhood as defined by the State, free uniform and text-books to girls up to Class 8, provision of gender segregated toilets in all schools, provision of self-defense training to girls from classes 6 to 8, stipend to Children with Special Needs girls from class 1 to Class 12, among others.”

Among girls between 11 and 14, the dropout rate went from 18.4 percent in 2017-18 to 13.7 percent in 2020-21. At the primary level, a decline also occurred, going from 3.3 percent in 2017-28 to 0.7 percent in 2020-21. The pattern continues at the upper primary level where the dropout rate went from 5.6 percent in 2017-18 to 2.6 percent in 2020-21.

Special state-specific projects for equity – such as teaching life skills, offering sanitary pad vending machines, and vocationalization of secondary education – have contributed to the achievement of the goal. Further, the opening of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) residential schools that are located in rural areas where the female literacy rate is below the national average is also helping girls belonging to scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, other backward classes, and minority groups continue their education. Some 669,000 girls are enrolled in the 4,986 KGBVs.